- I don't collect only bayonets, I also have various militaria items, including a few helmets. ---> About 12 or 13 years ago I was able to get [here in USA] an original Dutch helmet. It's a very nice helmet in very good condition having the original black paint and the black leather liner inside. I do like the shape of the Dutch helmet. During WW2 Romania used Dutch helmets too, all had that green army color. What I know for sure is that in 1938 Romania ordered from Holland about 500,000 helmets for domestic army use. I don't know for sure if all those 500,000 ordered helmets were delivered to Romania by May 1940 when Holland was invaded by the German troops. I remember from the National Military Museum from Bucharest [the capital of Romania] that some of the Dutch helmets used by the Romanians had a royal emblem in front and some other Dutch helmets had no emblem. Speaking about my black Dutch helmet, I want to mention that it has a small oval cut-out [size 23 X 5 mm] at the back. There are only 2 markings on my Dutch helmet: the number "1307" is stamped at front on the inside and the number "805" is scratched also on the inside by that small oval cut-out at the back. A few of my pictures showing the black Dutch helmet will be posted here. To show better the helmet in my pictures, I used a dummy head. ---> Photo 1: LEFT => Front view of the helmet. RIGHT => Side view of the helmet. ---> Photo 2: LEFT => Back view of the helmet, note the small oval cut-out by the rim. RIGHT => The interior of the helmet showing the black leather liner. Note again the the small oval cut-out by the rim at the back of the helmet. ---> Photo 3: Two identical Romanian army belt buckles made and used only after 1990. The only difference is that the belt buckle from top is made of steel and the one from below is made of brass. Note a background shield with 2 crossed swords and the "Dutch helmet". ---> Since I don't know too much about military helmets, I have these QUESTIONS: 1) What model is my black Dutch helmet??? 2) Is this a military helmet and if the answer is "Yes", which branch of the Dutch army used it??? 3) Which Dutch company manfactured this helmet, when and where??? 4) What is the meaning of the number "1307" stamped inside of my helmet at front??? Many thanks in advance for any help, Orita 08/21/08 P.S. Any information regarding my Dutch helmet will be appreciated.

_________________"Imagination is more important than knowledge." - Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

22 aug 2008, 05:07

virjinz

Site Admin

Geregistreerd: 14 maart 2007Berichten: 3547

22 aug 2008, 07:54

Kilian

Brigade-Generaal

Geregistreerd: 14 apr 2007Berichten: 1663

I do not collect Dutch helmets and my knowledge on these is limited and possibly wrong, but I know there are two models of this type/shape: M1927 and M1934. The M1934 being of slightly different (green) colour and curved shape than the M1927. Your helmet apparently has the shape of the model of 1934.

To my knowledge the Dutch Army helmets always were of an olive green colour and they had a (blackened) copper badge with a Dutch lion on the front. I have always believed the black ones, without the badge, would have been police, or (company/industrial) firebrigade, or civil defence, at least not Army. I know that for instance the company firebrigade of our former national telephone company PTT (for post, telegraph and telephone) had black helmets without the copper plate/badge, but with the letters PTT painted in white on the front, probably post war.

There is an interesting website, unfortunately in Dutch, on Dutch military uniforms and equipment from WW2 (limited to 1939/1940). What´s nice is that this website has some "interactive" uniforms. You can click on certain parts of the uniform/equipment and see more detailed pictures:
http://www.leger1939-1940.nl/Uniform/start_uniform.htm

Maybe someone with more knowledge on Dutch Army helmets can chime in here, and correct me where I am wrong..

23 aug 2008, 00:23

Meut

Luitenant-Kolonel

Geregistreerd: 28 maart 2007Berichten: 1302Woonplaats: Nederland

Here are some pictures of my Dutch helmets:

This is my M1934 (with double decal) on one side the Technische Nothilfe decal and on the other side the by Germany occupied Dutch flag decal (Orange-White-Blue).

- @ Kilian & Meut: Thank you both! The black paint from my Dutch helmet is the original, the helmet has not been repainted. I can see this on some small areas on the rim that there is not another paint color under the black. With the exception of my black painted helmet, I've never seen another Dutch helmet painted in black. I'm only curious to know exactly what I have. Bedankt, Orita 08/22/08

_________________"Imagination is more important than knowledge." - Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

23 aug 2008, 04:59

Kilian

Brigade-Generaal

Geregistreerd: 14 apr 2007Berichten: 1663

Well Orita, it being black, either Dutch Police or "Binnenlandse Strijdkrachten" are the more likely options, not Army.

Dutch police used this black model both before and after WW2.

The Binnenlandse Strijdkrachten (or BS for short) meaning something like Territorial Armed Forces, were formed during the liberation of The Netherlands, late 1944 / early 1945. These were not combat forces but were used for guard and security duties. They were dressed in blue overalls with an armband in the Dutch colours, they wore black Dutch model helmets and they carried a hodgepodge of firearms. Here´s an example of a picture I found on the Internet: http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/7716 ... atopf1.jpg

- @ Kilian: Many thanks for the link showing that Spanish web-site with helmets, it's very good. Now I know everything about my black Dutch helmet. I can read and understand Spanish about 75%, it's a language having a Latin origin [like Romanian, French, Italian and Portuguese]. Bedankt, Orita 08/23/08

_________________"Imagination is more important than knowledge." - Albert Einstein (1879-1955)